“Have you relaxed enough to start calling me Dave? David is so cordial, don’t you think?”
She laughed and groomed her hair back. That beautiful little cackle that sounded like angels singing. “I like Dave.”
“Glad to hear it. Before you know it, I’ll start calling you Leesha. Then kitten, then kitty, then baby-cakes. I got a whole Rolodex of pet names to call you.”
“Why do you like me, Dave?” she asks, taking joy from my flattery, but always suspecting something’s awry.
“Well, let’s just leave it at this, pumpkin. I’m going to tell you a story about my upbringing, okay?”
“Oh, boy. Is this a long one?” she said with an adorable little giggle.
“Now, now! Don’t mock my precious memories,” I say with a grin. “I know you have an acid tongue, but this is important.
“Okay. I’m listening.” She flutters her eyelashes, giving me her undivided attention. I just about fainted, honored that she was finally treating me like a man and not just a boss.
“Long time ago, I set my sight on this girl. Prettiest thing in the whole world, blonde, buxom, and wearing those tight jeans, the kind that would make the Lord blush. Her name was Barbara Ann. I thought Barbara Ann was just about the prettiest thing on two feet.”
“But not prettier than me, right?” she asked, teasing me with a smile.
“Well, hold on, let me finish the story. So one day I asked Barbara Ann out for junior prom. She couldn’t quite determine what she thought of me. I was a thin boy, not too bright, not too stupid, not fat but not muscular. She looked around the room. Her friends, two other girls that always walked along next to her, looked around the room. Well, Barbara Ann could think of no good reason to turn me down, especially since all the other boys were scared shitless of even approaching her. So she said yes.”
“Goody for you.”
“Yeah, well here’s the point. As soon as she said yes, that’s when my own logic turned against me. I started second guessing myself. Why me? Why did she go to the prom with me? I wasn’t a quarterback. Didn’t have muscles down to here. Didn’t have a skill, you know, like music or art. So when we actually went to the prom and sat down to enjoy a beverage, I said, ‘Barbara Ann, you’re the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen…and I’m honored that a beauty like me could end up with a loser like me. And I’m going to work hard to make sure you’re the happiest girlfriend on the face of the earth’.”
“Really? You said that in high school?”
“Hell, yeah, I did, and a day later she dumped me.”
Alicia laughed heartily.
“Now I think you get the point by now. Don’t ever sell yourself short. As soon as you start thinking of yourself as a loser, the world agrees with you.”
“I love it. Love it!” Alicia said.
“So here’s the thing. I want to take you out to dinner again. But business calls. My brother Robert is dead set on grabbing my attention from you. He claims it’s a business meeting about my father, who, God bless him, is on his deathbed.”
“Awww. Are you ashamed to let him see me?”
“Hell no! I just want old Bobby to know that just because he arbitrarily decides he needs to talk to me, that doesn’t mean I’m going to drop all my plans. I decided I wanted to spend the night with you. So, we’ll meet Bobby for a few minutes and then go our own separate way. Unless of course, the idea of meeting a single man’s family scares you to celibacy?”
She laughed. “Sure, I don’t care. I like meeting the families of guys I’m dating. I get to see the side of themselves they try to hide.”
“Oh, I expect you will be surprised at how many dark secrets I have carried.
“Well … maybe you’ll be surprised to hear about my secrets, Dave,” she said with a scintillating smile.
We went to meet Bobby at a steakhouse in Addison. Can’t quite remember the name of it and probably because the owner didn’t make much of an attempt to meet me and show me respect. That and the meat was way too tender for my taste. An uneventful meal but still memorable because that was the night my brother met my date, Miss Alicia Johnson.
“Have a seat, Bobby,” I said, welcoming Bob to the booth. As usual, my brother dressed like a stick up someone’s ass. Boring old suit, no hat, short hair, not even any facial stubble. Might as well have been a marine, except that mild-mannered Bobby is too boyish to shoot a Nazi down. Cowardice personified, that is my wide-eyed, blue-eyed brother.
“Hello,” he said evenly, shaking Alicia’s hand.
“Hey,” she said with a half-smile. I watched carefully, just to see if she was smiling too much. I know how some women like to shamelessly flirt around, but Alicia showed respect, just like I knew she would.
“Dave,” he said.
“This is Bobby Jackson, my brother. Guess what this mild-mannered man, this shy little wallflower of a man, does for a living?”
Bobby and Alicia stared at me.
“He’s a lion tamer! Tell her, Bob. Don’t be modest.”
He laughed softly, never giving me more than just a few heh-hehs, the old stick in the mud.
“No, I’m an accountant,” he said quickly.
“Isn’t that something?” I said, smiling at Alicia. “Glad you clarified that because your raw intensity was really making us both uncomfortable.”
“So, how about we talk about business for just a moment, and then I can let you back to your date?”
“Oh, come on, Bobby,” Alicia said with a smile. “You’re among friends. Why the rush?”
“That’s right!” I said. “See? Alicia already likes you. Sit down and let’s break bread.”
He sighed and reluctantly sat down.
“My name’s Robert. It’s not Bobby,” he said with a grimace.
I cracked up laughing.
“Sorry, I didn’t know,” Alicia said.
“No big deal,” he said, ignoring my rasping laughter. “David, are you ready to talk business? We need to talk about some of those travel deductions.”
“Well, there’s nothing to talk about. You’re the accountant; you figure out how to count those expenses.”
“Do you want to get audited?” he said with warning. “There is no documentation whatsoever for the trip to Mexico and certainly not for Hawaii.”
“You know what, let’s not talk business. Let’s talk about family for a change.”
Robert, as he demanded to be called, sighed and moaned like Old Yeller. “Have you seen Dad? Has he introduced you to our father?”
“Naw, naw. I figure she doesn’t need to meet that old racist coot. Not right now. Dad’s the old southern cliché a modern woman really has to prepare for. Isn’t that right, Robert?”
“For once, we’re in agreement,” Robert said. “What do you do, Alicia?”
“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?” I said, winking to Alicia. “What does a person do? What is their value to the human race?”
“Just making conversation, David,” he said coldly.
“I’m in real estate,” she said with a smile. “And I try my best to bring value to the human race.”
“Yeah, I bought that lot we were talking about the other day. Alicia here was my point of contact.”
“Really? So you asked out a woman you just met while buying property? No care in the world?”
“Well, fuck you, no,” I said, raising my ire. “I figure not even my daddy can tell me who I can ask out and who I can’t. Least of all you, Bobby, Accountant Extraordinaire.”
“No offense was intended. I meant …”
“Yeah right. What you meant. Maybe what you meant is, I Robert Jackson, am so socially inept I can’t ask a girl out on a date, so I have nothing left in life but to cut down my brother and make him feel like shit.”
Bob sighed. He excused himself from the table and then walked towards the back.
“Not at all. We’re all very impressed, David,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Excuse me, I have to take a ph
one call. I’ll be back to talk about that thing, David.”
“Oh right, the big thing. Big thing that must be discussed.”
Alicia waited until Bob walked out of the dining area. “Well, I don’t think I need to profile you to know that … you have issues with your brother.”
I laughed. “Nah. We do kind of razz each other from time to time. But it’s just the blood sport of having a sibling, I figure. Always battling for the parent’s love. Then wanting to do everything first. The competition in us, you see.”
“He doesn’t seem much like you.”
“I know, he’s an old sourpuss. Takes after my father. I got my quirky sense of humor from my mother; God rest her soul. She was a southern mama for sure, and she wouldn’t let a fellow leave our guestroom unless he was laughing and stuffed full of mashed potatoes.”
She giggled. “Well, I’m an only child, so I guess I don’t understand the dynamic.”
“Nah, Bobby’s okay. He’s my best friend in the world. We’ve been through a lot together. Whatever animosity there is between us, rest assured, it’s all over comical misunderstandings and meaningless family drama. And well …
I smiled at Alicia who smiled back.
“Of course, fighting over girlfriends.”
“No kidding!” she said with a wide-eyed stare. “I can’t imagine Bob stealing your girlfriend away. He seems too polite.”
“Yeah right, he is polite. But he’s also a snake in the grass sometimes.”
“Oh my goodness!” she laughed.
“Yeah, we love each other. But when it comes to sex ...” I said, looking at her straight and losing my smile. “All men fight without honor.”
She laughed again. “Well, I don’t think Bob is going to make a play for me, so don’t worry. He doesn’t seem the type. Now you, Mister Jackson …”
“Oh?” I said, grinning and folding my arms. “And you think I am the type to steal my brother’s girlfriend? Now there’s an honest thought, isn’t it?”
She laughed again, ignoring the fact that she might as well have poked me in the testicles. “All I mean is that … you Dave, you could talk a woman into doing anything. And I do mean anything.”
I took a sip of my drink and enjoyed the buzz.
Bob came back to us, and it was business as usual, and no creepy under the table flirting since Alicia was always such a respectful woman in that regard.
“I thought about what you said, Bob,” I said, offering a peace pipe over our argument. “And tell you what. Don’t count that trip to Hawaii. I’ll find the receipts to the one in Mexico. Goodwill, brother.”
“Thank you. That’s all I ask.”
“Family is everything you know, Miss Alicia,” I said, turning to my date. “If we can’t trust our own family, we have absolutely nothing.”
“Funny that’s coming from you of all people,” Bob said, already talking spiteful.
“What?”
“Well, I just mean on account of you and dad not talking for almost a year. You know he’s on his deathbed. But you won’t have anything to do with him.”
“Well, hold on now …”
“You talk all big about family, David, but the truth is you don’t give a damn about your own family. Business is one thing. But letting a difference of opinion divide your family is shameful. So yes … you have a lot of nerve talking about family, just to impress your date.”
Fuck all that shit! I pounded on the table and scared poor Miss Alicia half to death. I glared at Bob’s self-righteous ass for a face, and I gave him the business.
“Well why don’t you tell me how you really feel, Billy Bob Bubba?”
“That’s not my name.”
“I don’t feel guilty about a damned thing. That old man is a racist SOB and all he DOES care about is business and money. Well, here’s the thing, Bubba. I’m not going to be the workaholic, good for nothing, working my balls off drone that you are, or that dad was all his life. I firmly believe that work has its place. I restore my cars; I make my investments, and the door closes. And that place, that sacred place, will NOT inch its way into my personal life. Speaking of which, you lousy bastard, bringing up all this family shit while I’m on a date. This is my personal life, not business, so stick that shit in your ear, partner.”
Alicia stared at me for a long moment. What … was she going to take Bob’s side and cram shit down my throat too?!
“Bob …” she boldly said, looking him in the eye. “He’s right. Business isn’t everything. It’s one-third of your life. But it shouldn’t be your whole life. I’m proud of Dave that he keeps his business separate from his personal life. Because … why not have a little fun before you die?”
I wasn’t even testing Alicia, but boy, did she pass my test with shining colors. A woman that stands up for her man … sexier than anything! I was swooning over her at that moment. I was hard as a rock. For the first time in ages, I felt that same stir in my stomach that I once felt for Barbara Ann … that feeling of monumental love that comes around once in a blue moon.
No, Alicia Johnson was no movie star, no fancy girl from Hollywood. But she was a real woman. And a strong woman my mother would have been proud of.
“What more can I say?” I finally blurted out. “Alicia knows what it’s all about. You can’t have family if you’re working all the damned time.”
Bob stewed over the idea, probably wrestling with the fact that he was humiliated by a woman and kicked in the butt by his brother in the same minute.
“Alicia, is that your name?” he said squinting and shaking his head.
“Yes,” she said firmly, not smiling but sending him a nasty look?
“Don’t go sleeping with men you just met. No matter how rich and well connected they seem.”
Just as I was ready to pop Bob in the face, the stinker stood up from the table and bowed in sarcasm.
“I was just leaving anyway. David, receipts. I need them faxed to me ASAP. Nice to meet you, Alicia.”
“Whatever!” she said, her honor questioned, and her friendly face spurned. “Thanks, Dad! Judgmental asshole.”
Alicia folded her arms and pouted, more upset about the exchange than I was.
“What a king turd among turds,” I said. I had to reach over and pat Alicia on the hand. She was so upset she was trembling.
“Sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have called him an asshole.”
“Hell, he is an asshole! I agree!” I said.
“Right? I mean … we’re not even sleeping together and so what if we were? What era is he living in, the early nineteen hundreds?”
“Living in an old plantation inside his own cowboy-ass mind, if you ask me.”
“Yeah!”
I smiled as Alicia calmed down and then gave me that million-dollar smile that I fell instantly in love with. Just as I admired her face, her respectful and genuine face, I remembered something.
I once told Alicia that work never ends for me. That a person should work twenty-four-seven if necessary. I said that shit just to be a macho man.
Alicia could have thrown that in my face for a laugh. But she didn’t. She wanted to show me support. She was strong enough inside that she didn’t need to embarrass me in front of my pious-ass brother. Now that’s a southern woman for you. She doesn’t just respect her man; she honors him. She believes in him.
Now ask me again, why I’m so smitten with Miss Alicia Johnson. She knows good southern hospitality. That’s why.
Chapter 4
“None of Your Family’s Business Part II”
He drove me home that night, and we continued to mock Bob and his fatherly concern over modern women. Nothing but a play. And the fact that I could see through that just made him like me all the more so. I listened to him and swooned, always fascinating by his fast-talking mind.
“You’re a beautiful girl. But you’re classy too. You know you’re desirable, but you’re modest. You’re respectful and best of all you’re confident about who you
are. Internal confidence! That’s what makes a woman ‘high class,’ more than any twenty-thousand dollar dress can do, that’s for sure.”
“I’ve never really thought of myself that way,” I said shyly. “But I’m glad you see things in me that aren’t there.”
“That’s crap. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise. You’re grace and beauty in the same lovely creature.”
We stopped at the entrance of my home, and I felt a sad feeling come over me. I hated having to say goodbye. I hated having to walk away … I know David hated it too. He was the type of guy that wanted to take that overwhelming urge and cover himself with it, no patience he had! No inner sense of self-control.
And I wanted him. I really did. But our power balance was a little uneven, and that made me nervous. On one hand, he was sweet … but on the other hand, he was so driven, so impatient to get what he wanted.
He reached over and kissed me, still excited from a great night. I kissed him back. But this time, the kiss was long and lingering, thirsty … like I desired him. I trusted him. I could feel it, how hard I fell for him. We kissed again, so long and fiery, so lustful and starved of breath. He couldn’t help running his fingers through my hair. Moments passed, and all I could hear were the sounds of my own joy, the moans of my heart’s desire. We both wanted each other, hungered for each other … we felt every kiss. I was intoxicated with his scent and him with mine. He let his lips fall to my neck, tasting my skin, breathing in the purest essence.
“Let’s go upstairs,” he said, staring into my eyes.
“Mmm … no, I don’t want to,” I said.
“Really? You still don’t trust me?”
“No, it’s not that. I do like you and trust you. But when I invite someone upstairs …” I said, still holding onto his hands, still wanting this as much as he did. “I always second-guess myself.”
“Huh,” he said, leaning back in his chair and trying to figure that one out.
“It’s not you, hon,” I said, leaning in closer. “I want you now. I want to kiss you … I want you to kiss me.”
The Billionaire's Assistant: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Box Set Page 41